Behind Clean Lines

Food safety incidents don't stay local anymore. A contaminated batch produced in one facility can reach consumers on multiple continents before anyone realises something is wrong. That shift in scale is exactly why the 3-A sanitary standards, a framework that has been evolving for almost a century, continue to matter for everyone who designs, buys, or operates food production equipment.

In this episode of Behind Clean Lines, host Mikkel Svold is joined by two guests with very different relationships to hygienic design.
Gabe Miller is a 3-A Certified Conformative Evaluator (CCE) who served as chair of the committee that developed the 3-A General Standards. He has spent his career inspecting food production equipment for compliance, and he continues to collaborate with EHEDG as a trainer at their conferences.

Tue Skrubbeltrang is Sales Director for EMEA and APAC at NGI A/S, where he works with around 5,000 OEM customers worldwide. Between them, they cover the regulatory, engineering, and commercial sides of a conversation that too rarely happens in the same room.
The occasion is the third major iteration of the 3-A General Standards, recently released. Rather than imposing sweeping new requirements, it clarified language that had been causing genuine disputes in the field, expanded the tables of accepted materials to reflect modern production realities, and updated the framework to accommodate newer manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing and injection-moulded metals. Listen in for an unusually candid look at what the standards actually demand, where the industry keeps getting it wrong, and why the biggest risk in food safety today may not be what you think it is.

Episode Contents00:00 – Opening: The contamination mystery that took a year to solve
01:11 – Introduction: Why the 3A standards update matters now
03:35 – The 3A standards: a century of food safety, and how they are made
09:35 – Is hygienic design more expensive? Breaking the myth
11:06 – What the latest update actually changed
16:43 – New manufacturing technologies and what the standards now allow
17:58 – Defining product contact surfaces: where most people get it wrong
21:49 – Edge cases: conveyor belts, bearings, and the one-inch rule
25:51 – Non-product contact surfaces and the door frame listeria case
30:58 – Cleanability as commercial advantage: downtime, cost, and the 30-year argument
33:43 – 3A and EHEDG: convergence, differences, and cross-border certification
37:54 – Wishlist: knowledge first, not stricter standards

In This Episode
What the latest update to the 3-A General Standards actually changed, and what was deliberately left the same
Why the definition of "product contact surface" reaches well beyond the surfaces your product visibly touches
How a year-long listeria problem in a meat processing plant was traced back to the hollow bottom of a door frame
Why bearings demand careful hygienic consideration even when they sit outside the product contact zone
How the 3-A and EHEDG standards are converging, and where genuine differences in approach remain
Resources Mentioned
3-A Sanitary Standards (the long-standing framework governing hygienic design of food production equipment in the US)
EHEDG, European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (the European hygienic design framework, with growing harmonisation agreements with 3-A)
Contact and Follow
Questions, topic ideas, or guest suggestions: podcast@ngi-global.com
Find more episodes here. 

This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

Expert Roundtable · 2026 Factory Priorities

Is your factory ready for the transformation ahead?

The food industry is shifting fast. Labor gaps, accelerating automation, and the rise of AI are reshaping how factories operate.

In this special episode of Behind Clean Lines, three industry experts break down the forces redefining food manufacturing in 2026 - and what it will take to stay competitive in a landscape where technology and human expertise must work hand‑in‑hand.

In this special roundtable episode of Behind Clean Lines, we bring together three industry experts from different corners of the food sector:
Richard Smith – Managing Director, NewTech Intelligent Automation (machine builder perspective)
Jennifer Crandall – Founder & CEO, Safe Food En Route (food safety consultancy + cross-industry view)
Carl Thorson – Food Safety & Sanitation Manager, General Mills (large-scale food producer perspective)
Together, they explore the converging forces reshaping food manufacturing in 2026 and beyond; from the factory floor challenges of training workers who aren't there, to the promise and reality of AI-powered automation, to the counterintuitive revolution happening in sanitation practices.

For food manufacturers, the message is clear: the winners in 2026 won't be those with the most technology, but those who strategically navigate the balance between human expertise and technological capability.

In this episode, you'll learn:
Why labor shortages are the defining challenge, and how micro-learning and wearables are changing training.
Where automation is finally becoming viable in fresh food production (and where it's still years away).
How AI is tackling the "black box" of equipment changeovers and planned downtime.
The counterintuitive "cleaning by exception" philosophy reducing water use while improving safety.
What "food as medicine" means for formulation, equipment, and regulatory compliance.
Why all three experts agree AI is the universal disruptor—and why implementation will be gradual.
Episode Content
00:36 Introduction to food industry trends for 2026
02:49 The labor availability crisis: More than just empty positions
07:31 YouTube and TikTok-style training: Learning tools for the modern workforce
13:21 Technology advances opening up fresh food automation
17:05 Manual activities and the black box of equipment downtime
20:06 Imagining the food plant of 2030: Lights on or off?
24:07 The reality: Many companies are still on paper
30:25 Using visual assessment to reduce human error
38:06 UK and EU cybersecurity directives for machinery
44:43 Food as medicine: Consumer trends reshaping production
53:40 Cleaning by exception: The counterintuitive sanitation philosophy
58:33 The one disruptor defining 2026: Artificial intelligence 

This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

Could your food company be tomorrow’s headline for all the wrong reasons?

Food poisening can be a devastating for the consumer. And for the food company involved, it too comes with high costs:  It will damage reputation, shut down lines, trigger recalls, and put entire businesses at risk.

In this episode of Behind Clean Lines, food safety attorney Bill Marler shares three decades of experience from the front lines of outbreaks. 

He’s seen how E. coli in hamburgers, listeria in ice cream, and unpasteurized juice ended up in courtrooms - and why the warning signs were visible long before disaster struck.

For food manufacturers, the message is clear: regulators may not catch every risk. That responsibility falls on your processes, your supply chains, and your culture.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

1. The weak spots in production where contamination typically begins.
2. Why supplier practices can make or break your food safety strategy.
3. How genome sequencing is changing traceability and liability.
4. Where contracts and documentation protect you (or leave you exposed).

Episode Content
00:08 Introduction to foodborne illness lawyer, Bill Marler
01:10 Process after a food contamination case reported  
04:48 Current statistics on foodborne illnesses in America  
06:43 Tracing pathogens: The outbreak investigation process  
09:20 Role of CDC and genetic fingerprinting in food safety  
12:25 Manufacturer liability in food contamination cases  
15:40 Importance of supplier relationships in food safety  
23:42 Food safety culture: Engaging professionals in prevention  
28:12 The moral vs. PR dilemma in food safety  
30:41 Recommendations for manufacturers to enhance safety  
34:31 Current battles against public health challenges  

This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

Is hygienic design just another line on your to-do list, or the overlooked key to avoiding production nightmares?

In this episode of Behind Clean Lines, we talk with Jennifer Crandall, CEO of Safe Food En Route. With over 20 years in the food industry, she’s seen what happens when manufacturers treat hygienic design as an afterthought. 

Spoiler: it gets expensive, fast.

We get straight to the point – how early design decisions impact everything from contamination risks to your next downtime crisis (and your profit margins, of course). 
If you're in food manufacturing, this one’s worth your time. Give it a listen. It might save you more than just money.

In this episode, you'll learn about:
1. Building a business case for hygienic design in food production.
2. Financial risks of neglecting hygienic design from the start.
3. Impact of design on product safety and market deadlines.
4. Importance of involving experienced food safety experts early.
5. Long-term benefits of strategic investment in hygienic construction.

Episode Content
00:08 Introduction to Hygienic Design with Jennifer Crandall  
01:07 The Importance of Early Hygienic Design Decisions  
02:42 How Poor Design Leads to Costly Redesigns  
05:20 The Role of Food Safety in Company Culture  
07:58 Encouraging Investor Awareness on Hygienic Design  
10:12 Avoiding Redesign: Real-World Cost Examples  
12:30 Understanding Purchasability in Food Safety Context  
15:50 The Impact of Accumulative Costs on Operations  
20:10 Key Factors in Food Safety Due Diligence  
24:29 Investigating Accumulative Costs through Environmental Monitoring  
29:15 Strategies for Small and Medium-Sized Companies  
32:42 Final Advice: Engage Experienced Food Safety Professionals

Production
This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

Biofilm might sound harmless, but for food manufacturers, it’s a hidden threat that can take a serious toll on hygiene standards – and on your bottom line. Left unchecked, it risks production downtime, costly recalls, and long-term damage to your reputation.

In this episode of ‘Behind Clean Lines’, Mikkel Svold is again joined by Debra Smith, a global hygiene expert and biologist at Vikan. Together, they cut through the jargon and get straight to the practical advice on tackling biofilm; 
What it is
Why it’s a challenge and most importantly,
What you can do about it. 

Deb shares real-world tips, from getting your engineering and hygiene teams on the same page, to using smarter cleaning tools and detergents that actually work.

If food safety and protecting your operations matter to you, this episode is worth your time. Give it a listen, and take away ideas you can act on today.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

1. Differences between biofilms and single-celled microbes in cleaning.
2. Effective cleaning methods for combating biofilms in food factories.
3. Importance of validated cleaning and disinfection protocols.
4. Role of a cross-functional task force in biofilm management.
5. Emerging technologies for improved biofilm control.
6. Strategies for nurturing a strong food safety culture.

Episode Content

00:09 Introduction to the episode and guest, Deb Smith  
00:53 Key differences between biofilm and single-celled microbes  
01:45 Effective cleaning and disinfection methods for biofilm  
04:10 The concept and importance of a joint task force  
07:06 Common contradictions in hygiene and engineering teams  
10:49 Emerging technologies for biofilm management in food industry  
12:23 First steps for implementing better hygienic practices  
14:04 Challenges of instilling a strong food safety culture

Production
This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.

This podcast is brought to you by NGI A/S.
This podcast is produced by Montanus.